Mentoring boosts salary, employment of immigrants

Many newcomers to Canada continue to face challenges in finding work commensurate with their education and professional experience. But mentoring is one of the most successful strategies to help skilled immigrants find suitable employment, according to a survey released by HR consulting firm Accenture and ALLIES (Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies), a project jointly funded by the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and Maytree, a private foundation that promotes equity and prosperity through leadership building.

By all measures, mentees significantly improve their economic standing 12 months after mentoring. On average, unemployment decreased from 73 per cent at the time of mentoring to 19 per cent one year later. And full-time earnings increased from $36,905 to $59,944, an improvement of 62 per cent.

In addition to improved earnings, 71 per cent of employed immigrants were employed in their field and 47 per cent were employed at their appropriate level, found the survey of 292 mentees.

And since most mentees find work in their field, their starting salaries (and future salary trajectory) are likely higher than those working outside their field of expertise and experience, said the report The Results Are In: Mentoring Improves Employment Outcomes for Skilled Immigrants.

Successful mentees also find employment faster than the average newcomer and most find permanent work. They would likely receive employee benefits from their company which increases their effective earnings, said the report.

“Mentoring is a low-cost, high impact intervention that delivers on the promise of opportunity made to newcomers that make Canada their home every year. The results are in. The time to expand mentoring is now.”